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Caperdonich 17 Years Old The Rare Casks Release 1 by Abbey Whisky

96 bottles @ 57.8% ABV, distilled 1995, bottled 2012, £59.50 for 70cl

Score 87/100

What they say:

The 1st release in ‘The Rare Casks’ series by Abbey Whisky is this magnificent Caperdonich 17 year old single malt Scotch whisky. This limited edition release was distilled in 1995 and left to rest for 17 years before being bottled in 2012 with only 96 bottles filled.
The nose on this Caperdonich 17 year old seems quite simple at first with the initial hit of sweet oak and vanilla. Leave it for a few moments and the tropical fruit & sweet peppery notes lift from the glass to the nose getting more complex and developed with every nose. Banana, vanilla & spiced pepper followed by a lingering of sweet pepper chilli & oak at the back of the nose.

When tasting, give yourself a good mouthful of this dram, swirl it all around your mouth for the full 17 seconds. Wow, the result, a full coating of creamy, spicy pepper notes all around the mouth, softens off gradually showing its sweet oak, vanilla flavours once again.

The finish leaves your mouth with warm, spicy notes with sweeter flavours to follow. A dram that leaves you wanting for more.
Bottled in its natural form, at full cask strength, without chill filtering or colour additives.

What I say:

I had never tried Caperdonich before so this was completely new to me, I expect due to the providence that there should be some resemblance to Glen Grant, only this is cask strength and quite old at 17 Years.

Taste:

Palate, warm spirity vanilla custard with cinnamon, custard cream biscuit, ginger, lemon/lime, grapefruit zest and pith. A little water takes the heat of the start and mellows right out. Delicious!

Finish:

The finish was fairly oaky with citrus fruits and light spices lingering

Would I buy it:

This is an exceptional single cask / cask strength, bourbon matured Speyside whisky in all its glory. Overall I felt the nose on this alone was well worth the price tag. Add in the fact that you are purchasing what can only be described as collector stock as this distillery is no more and this looks like a real bargain.